What is Wellbeing?

Are you content? Do you have energy for the things you love and a sense of purpose and connection? Are you able to put the bad days in perspective? Do you feel you are flourishing?

If you answered yes, then you are experiencing wellbeing, a state of being in alignment (body, mind, and spirit).

But many of us aren’t there. Our lifestyle is causing us pain, whether we are tired or stressed or overweight. We feel disconnected from others or stuck in a routine that hold no meaning. We are dissatisfied with our daily lives. We live in worry.

But the good news is that we can take steps to enhance our wellbeing and achieve a state of balance and contentment, regardless of our situation. As brain researcher Richard Davidson writes, wellbeing is a skill that we can all develop simply by practicing.

And wellbeing is not a new goal: it is our natural inclination. Think about it—do you try to become sad or angry or unfit? No--humans and other living creatures all prefer things that promote wellbeing and seek environments where wellbeing can flourish.

Begins with a question

Wellbeing begins with the simple question—how can I enhance my wellbeing? What could I do to feel content and balanced? A simple but radical question, because asking this shifts our whole perspective—we are no longer looking to our healthcare providers or government or food companies to tell us what we need to do. We are empowering ourselves to explore what we really need: to listen, perhaps for the first time, to our body, mind, and spirit, and to evaluate for ourselves what makes sense.

And when we tune into what we need, we naturally find ourselves seeking purpose, security, and health, as well as connections to families, friends, and our larger communities and environment.